Sweetheart: A Thriller

I first want to get off my chest a small thing that is annoying me, if you are going to write a series or continue with a storyline from a previous book, indicate it on the book. This way I do not have to read page after page of summary as to what happened in the last book when I already read it.

I enjoy that this book exposes readers to Stockholm Syndrome, something that happens to people and not many seem to get why a victim would show empathy or fall in love with their captor.

I enjoyed Archie again in this book but still Gretchen is not shocking to me. There is not much by way in description as to how awful her crimes were, at least not in my opinion.

I found it did not live up to the hype and left me shaking my head at some parts of it for how poorly written it was but overall, I did enjoy most of it.

I am reading the third books in this series now and most of it so far is a recap of the last two books, boring.

Well, I thought the book had really great parts, where it was thrilling and parts where there were quite a few surprises uncovered, but the book just didn't really live up to the first one. I thought the first one was much more engaging and had a very complete, full plot. Sweetheart though, I'm not sure what to say about it. The plot just seemed to stagnate and it seemed to pick up a little towards the end but it just didn't have the same fast thrilling ride like the other one.

Gretchen still hasn't changed, she's still the same psychotic "Hannibal Lecter" we all have come to know since Heartsick. Although, there's just something about her that I can't seem quite to understand and grasp. True, she's a villain but I've read other ones that would easily take the "Crown of Evil" away in a heartbeat. Perhaps it's because there's not much information about her yet, I'm not sure. She just feels so "wooden" but it's as if the author has tried a little too hard to make her a villain and instead the result is a stagnant villain with a dysfunctional relationship with Archie and it's puzzling. There's no feeling from her, no "flesh" to her I guess, she seems entirely two dimensional. I don't know what to say about Archie. I don't understand what he's trying to do with Gretchen. On the other hand, it seems he wants to be with her but knows it's wrong but does it anyway yet somehow "covers" it up by trying to recapture her (at least, in my opinion it sure looks that way). It's this rather strange chemistry between these two that I don't quite get and it seems to put a bit of a damper on the book.

The case with the Senator and the underage teen was interesting, but it just seemed so out of place with the main Gretchen/Archie plot that it looked like it was meant as a page filler for the novel. Thankfully though, the chapters were short so it felt as if you could read through the book quickly and easily.

Don't get me wrong, the book wasn't so bad. However I thought it could be so much better. The thrilling action bits were good and nearly redeemed the book but it just wasn't enough. I'm really hoping the third one after this will do the job and not be a giant snowball going downhill. The ending was really good and was left in a cliffhanger, but I really hope this relationship/obsession between Archie and Gretchen does somewhat come to a closure, it's just too dysfunctional for me.

overall, I'm not sure what to say. It was good, yet in so many ways it could have been better. It's a fast read with short chapters so it can be easily breezed through. It's a "must read" though, if you want to get through the Gretchen Lowell series.

A twisted, and at time lurid, ride that had me in its grasp and didn't let go.

Gretchen Lowell (AKA Beauty Killer) has had a stranglehold on Detective Archie Sheridan ever since she wedged herself into the investigation as a psychiatrist while he hunted for the elusive serial killer. Even while in jail she controlled and manipulated him, but now she's broken free changing the game and managing to break the small thread that was holding Archie somewhat together.

Cain doesn't offer us moments of hope in this second installment of her Lowell series, she just keeps chipping away at Archie and those around him. That was probably the hardest element while reading this book, the utter hopeless that seemed to be Archie. His dependency on Gretchen continues to show up and twists you all about while we also get into their history making for some interesting and revealing insights.

Despite the mess that is our Detective those around him that love or care for him (excluding homicidal serial killers) don't believe he's a lost cause. In fact, that's what makes it so obvious how lost and broken Archie truly is. It's painful to watch Debbie, his ex-wife whom he still lives with, try to hold onto something that died the moment Gretchen entered Archie's life. Debbie is probably the one character that while I sympathize with, I don't understand how she's stuck through it all.

The continuation of Susan Ward's, our eclectic journalist, journey into Archie's dark world was brilliant. I love how Cain uses her characters, especially Susan. She's grown so much from the first book yet she's still the same. Cain manages to allow her characters to grow without them becoming unknown. We also get to see the outcome of Susan's previous story she was working on about a beloved Senator sleeping with his 14 year old babysitter and the cover up that subsequently occurred. I enjoyed that while Gretchen breaking free was the focus Cain didn't drop the plot line that she'd introduced in book one, nor did she cop out by telling us what happened. She managed to weave it all together and at times, offered us a small refrain.

Along with Cain's well written characters she delivered a plot that didn't leave room for you to get bored with. This is a definite must read for those that love a gripping thriller. However, Cain doesn't shy away from details. When she writes a crime scene you get a detailed and descriptive scene, causing some gruesome mental images to pop up but it's part of what makes this series so vivid. Not once have I read a scene where I felt like Cain shied away from her material, it may cause you to wonder what the hell a character was thinking or shift uncomfortably while you read but never like she robbed you.

This was the second Chelsea Cain that I read! Great book - not quite as good as Heartsick, but highly recommended anyway!

Can't wait for the next installment!